A unique combination of components is disclosed to facilitate information management during a collaborative effort. Interaction during a meeting is supported by the use of devices in a manner that allows attendees to quickly retrieve and display documents on-command or automatically. The information includes previously recorded meetings among other things. The disclosed method and system, thus, facilitates the exchange of information during meetings.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A computer executable method for managing information during a meeting comprising steps of: recording activities among participants during said meeting to produce recorded meeting data; analyzing, while said meeting is ongoing, said recorded meeting data absent direct human intervention to identify textual content contained in said recorded meeting data, said textual content indicative of a participant directive representing an action on said information to be performed during said meeting; and in response to identifying said participant directive in said recorded meeting data, performing said action represented by said participant directive on said information while said meeting is ongoing, thereby facilitating the management of information during said meeting.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said recorded meeting data includes video recordings and audio recordings.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said action includes an activity selected from the group consisting of: document management activities, document editing activities, messaging functions, establishing communication with a new meeting participant, and manipulation of said recorded meeting data.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein said document management activity includes accessing said recorded meeting data during said meeting.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein said activities include verbal communication, written communication, presentation of prepared material using a projection system.
6. The method of claim 1 further including ascertaining identities of said participants and selectively effectuating said participant directive based on said identities.
7. The method of claim 1 further including tracking locations of said participants and selectively effectuating said participant directive based on said locations.
8. The method of claim 1 further including locating said participants in different geographic locations.
9. A computer executable method for providing information services during a meeting involving two or more participants comprising steps of: producing a continuous video recording of at least one of said participants for the duration of said meeting; producing a continuous audio recording of at least one of said participants for the duration of said meeting; storing said video and said audio recordings in a data store; analyzing, while said meeting is ongoing, either or both of said video recording or said audio recording absent direct human intervention to identify textual content contained therein to detect a participant directive in said textual content representing an action to be performed during said meeting; and providing one or more information-related services based on said participant directive, thereby providing information-related services based on gestures and vocal utterances made by said participants during said meeting.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein said detecting a participant directive includes receiving participant input from an input device.
11. The method apparatus system of claim 9 wherein said detecting a participant directive is based on the context of the meeting.
12. The method of claim 9 wherein said detecting a participant directive includes detecting an information retrieval cue, said method further including: producing certain information based on said information retrieval cue, including accessing said data store to retrieve one or more segments of said video and said audio recordings and accessing one or more databases to retrieve information contained therein; and presenting said certain information to one or more of said participants.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein said detecting an information retrieval cue includes receiving participant input from an input device.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein said presenting certain information is a step of presenting said certain information to less than all of said participants.
15. The method of claim 12 further including tracking locations of said participants, wherein said presenting said certain information is a step of selectively presenting said certain information based on said locations.
16. The method of claim 9 wherein said information services include accessing information, editing information, assimilating information to produce new information, establishing communication with a new participant, transmitting and receiving messages, accessing a global information network, and accessing a local network.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein said messages include electronic mail.
18. The method of claim 9 wherein provision of said information services depends on permissions associated with said participants.
19. The method of claim 18 further including identifying said participants to determine associated permissions.
20. The method of claim 9 further including locating said participants in geographically distinct locations.
21. A system for providing information services during an interaction between two or more participants, comprising: a video capture component configured to produce a continuous video recording of at least one of said participants; an audio capture component configured to produce a continuous audio recording of at least one of said participants; a data storage component containing information, said data storage component in communication with said video and audio capture components and configured to store said video and audio recordings; a detection component in communication with said video and audio capture components and configured to analyze either or both of said video recordings or said audio recording to identify a participant directive in textual content representing an action to be performed during said interaction; and a service provision component in communication with said data storage component and configured to provide an information service based on said participant directive, thereby providing information services during said interaction based on gestures and vocal utterances made by said participants.
22. The system of claim 21 wherein said participant directive is an information retrieval cue, and wherein said service provision component is further configured to retrieve certain information from said data storage component in response to said information retrieval cue and to provide said certain information to said display component.
23. The system of claim 22 wherein said certain information includes said continuous video recording and said continuous audio recording.
24. The system of claim 21 further including a user input portion configured to receive user-provided input data, said detection component further configured to identify a participant directive from said user-provided input data.
25. The system of claim 21 further including a participant identification component, said service provision component being further configured to selectively provide said information service based on identities of one or more of said participants.
26. The system of claim 25 wherein said identities have associated permissions, said service provision component being further configured to selectively provide said information service based on said permissions.
27. The system of claim 25 wherein said participant identification component is configured to provide participant locations, said service provision component being further configured to selectively provide said information service based on said participant locations.
28. The system of claim 21 wherein said information service includes providing access functions over a communication network.
29. The system of claim 28 wherein said information service includes data retrieval from a global communication network.
30. The system of claim 28 wherein said information service includes data retrieval from a plurality of web sites.
31. A computer executable method of utilizing plural information sources to enhance information management during a meeting between two or more attendees, comprising: producing and storing a continuous audio-visual recording of one or more of said attendees, said audio-visual recording comprising a video data component and an audio data component; extracting and storing textual information from said audio and video data components; extracting and storing image information from said video data component; analyzing said textual information or said image information to detect attendee action cues from said audio data component or said video data component; accessing certain information from said information sources based on said attendee action cues; and presenting said certain information, thereby providing information services during said meeting on the basis of the actions of said attendees.
32. The method of claim 31 wherein said accessing certain information includes searching through said audio-visual recording.
33. The method of claim 31 wherein said detecting attendee action cues includes receiving explicit commands from an attendee.
34. The method of claim 31 further including tracking locations of said attendees, said presenting certain information being based on said locations.
35. The method of claim 31 further including editing information in said information sources based on said attendee action cues; and producing new information by assimilating portions of information in said information sources based on said attendee action cues.
36. The method of claim 31 further includes identifying said attendees from said audio and video data components to produce attendee identifiers.
37. The method of claim 36 further including manipulating information in said information sources based on said attendee action cues and said attendee identifiers.
38. The method of claim 37 wherein said manipulating information includes editing said information.
39. The method of claim 31 further including locating said attendees in different parts of the world.
40. A system to facilitate the management of information during a meeting between two or more attendees, comprising: an information storage portion configured to receive and store information and to access and provide information; an audio-visual capture portion in communication with said information storage portion and configured to produce real-time video recordings and real-time audio recordings of one or more of said attendees; a text classification portion in communication with said information storage portion and configured to produce and store textual information extracted from said audio and video recordings; an image classification portion in communication with said information storage portion and configured to produce and store image information in said video recordings; a cue detection portion configured to detect attendee action cues from said textual information during said meeting; an information retrieval portion in communication with said information storage portion and configured to access information therefrom based on said attendee action cues; an information manipulation portion in communication with said information storage portion and configured to manipulate information stored therein based on said attendee action cues; and an information presentation portion operatively coupled to said information retrieval portion and said information manipulation portion and configured to display retrieved and manipulated information, wherein information including said textual information and said image information can be retrieved and manipulated by gestures and voice input of said attendees during said meeting.
41. The system of claim 40 further including an attendee identification portion coupled to said information storage portion and configured to identify said attendees from said audio and video recordings and to provide attendee identifiers.
42. The system of claim 41 wherein said information presentation portion is further configured to selectively display said retrieved and manipulated information to attendees depending on said attendee identifiers.
43. The system of claim 40 wherein said attendee action cues include directives to access said video and audio recordings of said meeting.
44. The system of claim 40 wherein said cue detection portion is further configured to detect said attendee action cues on the basis of the context of said meeting.
45. The system of claim 40 further including an attendee tracking portion configured to track movements and locations of said attendees.
46. The system of claim 45 wherein said information presentation portion is further configured to selectively display said retrieved and manipulated information to attendees depending on said attendee identifiers, said attendee cues, and said locations of attendees.
47. The system of claim 45 wherein said attendee identification portion includes creating new identifiers for unknown attendees.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
March 8, 2000
November 20, 2007
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